31 



into the bush, and could not be induced to come out, so I walked 

 through their habitations, looking around me, but finding nothing 

 but heaps of nuts of the oil-palm. But just before embarking, my 

 eye caught a heap of dry bones, placed evidently by the negroes as 

 their dju-dju, or sacred heap, remains of their hunting achievements, 

 and now dedicated to their deity. I eagerly examined the mass, 

 but found to my grief that it was composed mostly of fragments, 

 among which were portions of skulls of goats, of a bullock, and of a 

 crocodile ; but on turning these over I saw a more complete relic, 

 one which struck me as being peculiar, and as something I had not 

 previously seen. This I carried off, and it turned out to be the 

 nearly complete skull of a Manatus, which was the skull exhibited 

 at Cheltenham. Having had time lately to examine it, I found it 

 to exhibit the peculiarities remarked by Prof. Owen, and the result 

 is as follows : — 



General Measurements. 



inches. 



Extreme length 1 2-§- 



Greatest depth 8 



Length of nasal orifice A\ 



Breadth of nasal orifice 2 



From edge of orbit to extremity of snout 3-f- 



From anterior molar socket to extremity of snout .... 3f 

 From anterior edge of infraorbital foramen to ditto .... 2>\ 

 From maxillary and intermaxillary suture to ditto .... If- 

 Greatest depth of zygomatic arch 2f 



The proportions of the skull are more elongate than those of M. 

 Senegalensis, but less so than M. australis. Top of skull oblong, 

 bounded by two almost completely parallel ridges on the frontal and 

 parietal bones. Frontal suture remaining, parietal bones united. 

 Breadth of orbits nearly one-half of their length ; orbits directed 

 outwards, nearly in a plane with the snout at an angle of about 40° ; 

 lower edge of orbits circular, smooth, and not tuberculated. Inter- 

 maxillaries more lengthened than in Cuvier's figure of M. Senegalen- 

 sis, but much less deep, and not nearly so elevated along the anterior 

 angle of the nasal cavity. Cavities fornine upper molars, the anterior 

 being but a single socket, the others adapted for three dental fangs, 

 one internal, and two external and lateral. Fangs flattened and 

 slightly expanded at extremity ; the two external directed immediately 

 upwards ; the internal one, rather the longest, directed upwards and 

 inwards, especially the more anterior ones. Two posterior molars 

 still undeveloped. Molars multicuspid, with two transverse irregu- 

 larly tri-tubercular ridges, the posterior one being generally partially 

 divided into two by a small groove. The ridges on the remaining 

 anterior molars (third and fourth) much rubbed down and worn, ex- 

 posing the dentine. Remains of one incisive socket at extremity of 

 each intermaxillary near the suture. Incisive foramen pyriform, 

 the base anteriorly. 



Lower jaw less massive than in M. Senegalensis, with posterior 



